Several prominent movie pirate sites have completely disappeared from Google's search results. The list includes domain names belonging to streaming portals 123movies and Fmovies, which both have millions of visitors. At the same time, the popular converter platform YouTube-MP3 has also been stripped from Google's listings.

BitTorrent users all around the globe are well aware that they're probably being monitored as they share files from home or workplace. However, it now appears that the spies employed at the UK's GCHQ have also monitored torrents being transferred by airline passengers more than 10,000ft up in the sky.

Selling media players with pirate add-ons violates EU law, according to a recommendation from Advocate General Campos Sánchez-Bordona. He issued the advice in a landmark case over the legality of pre-loaded XBMC/Kodi devices, which are widely sold across Europe. Whether users of these players also liable depends on whether they know that the content is infringing.

In an unexpected move, the infamous anti-piracy technology Denuvo has been removed from the PC version of Doom. The development follows a similar move last month when developer Playdead removed Denuvo from its game 'Inside'. Did a refund clause in the Denuvo deal trigger these removals?

Google has just announced that during the past 12 months, YouTube paid out $1 billion to the music industry from advertising alone. However, the IFPI remains unimpressed, accusing the platform of taking advantage of artists and producers. YouTube exploits loopholes in the DMCA, the industry group argues, while calling for legislative change to address the "value gap."

After several years, the appeals court has reached a final decision in the case between anti-piracy group BREIN and Usenet provider NSE. The court ruled that the Usenet provider is not liable for the copyright infringements of its users. However, it also requires the service in question to offer a fast and "effective" takedown procedure.

An Oregon District Court has sided with a wrongfully accused man, who was sued for allegedly downloading a pirated copy of the Adam Sandler movie The Cobbler. According to the court's recommendations, the man is entitled to more than $17,000 in compensation as the result of the filmmakers "overaggressive" and "unreasonable" tactics.

In 2015, a coalition of copyright holders lost a court case which demanded an ISP blockade of The Pirate Bay in Sweden. A year later and Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music and Nordisk Film are back, hoping for a victory in a brand new court that could open the floodgates for widespread website blocking.

4shared, one of the largest file-hosting services on the Internet, is building its own 'fingerprint' database of pirated music. Since the major rightholder groups are unwilling to participate, 4shared has taken the matter into its own hands. According to the site, this has helped to significantly reduce the number of takedown requests it receives.